Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Andrew Gold 1951-2011: A Final Postscript

From the 2006 Buffalo Springfield tribute album Five Way Street, here's a pretty damned impressive live version of "Bluebird," with Andrew doing business as Byrds of a Feather.

Because Gold was a member of the Peter Asher/Linda Ronstandt L.A. soft-rock Mafia in the 70s, a lot of critics with a punk and post-punk axe to grind have tended to sell his artistic contributions short; frankly, I may have done it myself from time to time. But the guy was clearly a hell of a musician, and I think the world would be a poorer place without some of the records he played on and arranged. "You're No Good" immediately springs to mind....

...especially that Beatles-ish minor key riffy guitar breakdown solo section after titular star Ronsztadt temporarily shuts her not as soulful as it should be yap.

10 comments:

For me, "Lonely Boy" is a fondly-remembered piece of post-high school angst - a song no one else I knew cared about at the time... I think I snuck it on to the turntable at parties in between cuts from Pink Floyd and Steely Dan a few times!

Great playing and arranging. I love the sound of "Lonely Boy". As for his lyrics, well, let's just say there is a lot of danger in very direct lyrics. And it seems that applies to many of Gold's songs ("Thank You For Being a Friend"). But going back and putting it in context of other music of the time (thinking the sarcastic and ironic works of Steely Dan or Randy Newman), perhaps the direct lyric took more guts. RIP